Starting Block
by metz0
Summary: Because I can't leave this AU the fudge alone, this is where I'm going to dump a series of one-shots that lead up to the events in the forthcoming sequel to In Too Deep, Swan Dive.
1. Chapter 1

AN - I swear to fucking god this AU keeps dragging me back in. A little snack of sorts to tide you over while I work on the sequel. I'm sticking with the water theme for titles, In Too Deep, Swan Dive for the pending sequel (see tumblr), Starting Block for this set. I start with this one-shot that takes place between the final chapter and the epilogue. Content warning for drug uuuuuuuuse. VISION QUESTS WOOWOOO! If you haven't read In Too Deep, you are going to have *zero* clue as to what's going on here, so jump back on my profile and read that adventure first!

* * *

 **Bands.**

"Claire Lightning Yun has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Fang asked her soon to be wife, trailing her slender fingers down the pinkette's chest. A scoff erupted against her hand and the woman in question sat up.

"Well so does Oerba _Farron_ Fang," Lightning said with mild annoyance, though she honestly didn't care either way. She just knew it would stir the Pulsian up. "Are you suggesting that you're more important and that's why your name should go first?"

Dark eyebrows dropped as Fang scowled. "You _know_ that isn't what I meant you bloody... You... You're messing with me right now aren't you?" a light chuckle was her only response as the pinkette got out of bed and padded over towards the balcony of the hotel.

Overlooking Eden, it was a complete mess. The hotel was in one of the districts they'd managed to clear the bombs from, but other parts of the city weren't so lucky. It had only been a few weeks since the Fal'Cie's final stand, but already Eden was picking itself up and moving on. Lightning sighed as she felt Fang's arms slide around her. Leaning back into the brunette's touch, she tilted her head to the side to allow Fang to continue her attentions.

"Does it really bother you? The surnames I mean." Fang asked tentatively. With a slow smile, Lightning turned around and gave her partner a once over.

"How about we flip a coin for it? Lady Luck on your side today?"

Fang swallowed hard. There was plenty she'd left up to chance, but this felt far more significant. She wasn't sure whether she should leave such an important decision to the fate of a coin toss. Lightning pulled out a gil from her pocket and held it up.

"Heads, its Yun. Tails, its Farron." The pinkette said bluntly before flipping the coin in the air with her thumb. Fang gasped and followed the coin's trajectory with her eyes, head tilting up. A pale hand snaked around the back of her neck and pulled her down into an intense kiss. "If I'm with you, I could care less what my name is." Lightning whispered against Fang's lips.

"You're a cheeky bugger, I hope you know." The Pulsian muttered watching the coin drop onto the carpet. Neither of them paid any attention to the tails side landing face up.

"Please, Fang. Over the last few years, I've been so many different people my surname has lost all meaning." Lightning replied with a sigh, nuzzling into her partner's shoulder. Fang smiled wistfully, running her fingers through the pale strands of hair.

"I don't feel comfortable getting rid of your name entirely though. What if we hyphenated? Yun-Farron or Farron-Yun?"

The pinkette looked up from her spot and quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe we'll spar for it, the winner gets their surname first. Any other traditions I should know about, or should we get onto arguing about the rings?"

A nervous cough escaped Fang's throat and she looked away. "Yeah, about that... How attached are you to rings? Wedding bands and the like?"

"If I'm honest, I don't like them. They get in the way of handling weapons. Either blisters or the ring warps against the finger from the friction. It's... Not practical." Lightning said, worried about the reaction. The sigh of relief was not what she expected.

"Thank the Gods. I was thinking the same thing. Knew there was a reason I liked you."

Lightning fiddled with the pendant hung from her neck. "Snow got Serah an engagement necklace instead of rings. They're going to get proper bands for the ceremony though." Fang hummed and unhooked the cord from around her neck that held the amethyst crystal. She carefully placed it around the pinkette's neck and let her hands rest on her shoulders.

"This belonged to my mother. The only thing left of hers that I have. She is the key to my past, but you are the key to my future. Marry me, Claire Lightning Farron."

Blinking away the tears from her eyes, Lightning surged forward and wrapped her arms around Fang's neck, pushing her back towards the bed. "Of course I will." She whispered against the Pulsian's lips.

Far later in the evening, Lightning was sitting up reading through her phone while Fang slept soundly next to her. The pinkette was flipping through various sites on her tablet, looking for what constituted Pulsian wedding traditions. She found what she was looking for when she looked up the Hunter's Way. Scrolling through the information, her eyes lit up when she got to the part she needed. Ever practical, the tradition didn't have wedding bands per say, but a small incision along the ring finger that would serve as the symbol of a union. Ash from a small fire would be rubbed into the cut, to ensure it would scar.

Lightning winced at the description but admired the practicality of it. Sort of like one of Fang's countless tattoos. She drew her thumb over her ring finger. What was one more scar at this point? The ex-gc officer had already had a number since this whole adventure began, at least this one would have significance for them both and not a reminder of the brutal path they both took to get here.

She shrugged, already making up her mind. Lightning had pledged herself to the Creed after all, so it was fitting to go through the practices. She wondered if it was worth asking Fang about participating in the trials. Something she'd like to clear off before they "tied the knot", as it were. It felt like it would be the first true and honest thing she'd done in her life and she chuckled bitterly at the irony of that thought, considering all the lies initially.

As if sensing her melancholy, Fang groaned and turned over in her sleep, sliding an arm across the pinkette's waist and pulling herself over. She draped a leg over Lightning's, pinning the woman in place.

"What're you doin' up at this 'our, Light?" Fang mumbled, words broken in her sleepy state. She practically purred at the hand that ran through her hair, and she snuggled closer with a happy murmur.

"Just thinking. About us, about the future. About what I promised. I was thinking of asking you about the Trials."

One jade eye snapped open at the words, and Fang suddenly sat up in bed. "You're serious, aren't you? You know part of the trials is to... You know, take a mad amount of hallucinogens, right? Vision quest in a forest while tripping out of your skull?" She asked, looking concerned. Lightning nodded, waving her phone.

"I'm _aware_ , I've been reading up on it while you've been asleep. Fang, I want... I want to do this. Think of it as shedding the last of my past so I can focus on the future with you."

Fang considered the sincerity in those beautiful eyes she fell so hard for and sighed. "Thought I was the only one hooked on symbolism..." She muttered, reaching out and stroking the side of her partner's face. She puttered out air between her lips and leant forward to kiss the pinkette on the forehead. "I'll help you in whatever way I can. We'll... Need to take a ride out to Oerba, go to the old tribal lands."

"Let's go in the morning. I am sick of looking at the city for a while."

* * *

The two sat by a fire in the middle of the woods the following evening. The clearing was one Fang and Vanille used to camp in often as children, their family reservation untouched from developers following their parents' murder. They had spent the day exploring the lands, memories tugging at Fang's heart as she saw what was left of their demolished home. Though quiet, the peace of the wilderness doing little to soothe Lightning's on-edge nerves for what was to come.

"So what's the plan here?" The pinkette asked, watching Fang rummage around in her pack. The Pulsian looked up with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, the jade irises glinting in the firelight with concern.

"Effectively, the Trials involve reaching the Cradle. The hub of all life. There you'll face your self, or selves, and must overcome them. To do that, you take a shortcut the old priests used to use, being this gross tasting tea. I've got a juice for you to use as a chaser because it sure as hell isn't pleasant." Fang replied, pouring a liquid into a tin mug. She sensed Lightning's hesitation and took her by the hand.

"Look it's up to you. If this is something you feel is truly holding you back, let's face it. If not, we can go home, watch a movie and you can continue to let this eat at you. You've done a shitload of work over this last while on your identity issues and you are already looking and feeling more at peace than I've ever seen you. But this is the last gate. We need to tear it open and tear it down so that you can step into yourself, full and whole."

Fang kissed her on the head and handed her the mug. "Your choice, Light. I'm altering the trials a little and staying put. I won't leave you alone in foreign territory, you'll likely walk off a bloody cliff. I'll be right here."

Lightning exhaled forcefully and slumped her shoulders. "Fuck it." She muttered and downed the contents of the mug in one fell swig. The brunette was on point about the taste, it was absolutely vile. She gagged at the flavour, quickly grabbing the juice out of Fang's hand and drinking it quickly. "Ugh… Goddess that was terrible." She said with a grimace, feeling like she needed to scrape the offending taste from her tongue.

"Well, I did warn ya," Fang replied with a chuckle, sitting back and rubbing the pinkette's back gently. They sat in silence a while, Lightning getting increasingly bored by the hour.

"How long until this stuff is meant to kick in?" She asked, her words sounding a little warped in her ears. She turned when she didn't get a response to find a great beast sitting in the log next to her. A flame coloured mane cascaded from the beast's head, blue skin pulled taut over segmented muscles. Lightning knew instantly what she was looking at, she'd seen it every time she looked at Fang's spine. She gasped and scrambled off the log she was sitting on, stumbling and falling back in the dirt. "Ragnarok.." She whispered, trying to suppress her terror.

"Hrmph. Looks like it's finally working. So, you ready to do this or are you going to just keep sitting there staring at the stars?" The beast asked in a gravelly voice. The pinkette frowned and tried to sit up.

"Th' hell are you... Talking about?" she asked, her voice noticeably slurred. Ragnarok chuckled and shook its great head.

"Wasn't talking to you, love. Was talking to her." The beast said, pointing behind over Lightning's shoulder. The pinkette turned to find her own self standing behind her in that old familiar orange jumpsuit, grinning manically. Unsettled, Lightning tried to say something, anything, but it all came out as a low moan. She suddenly couldn't move. Her fingers grew rigid into claws, bones creaking as they moved of their own volition. Her face twisted into a grin, mirroring the criminal standing behind her as the copy moved closer.

She felt pale hands around her own throat, choking the life out of her like in so many nightmares she'd had. Wrestling with control, she could feel the criminal seeping into every crevasse of her mind, trying to destroy her from within. A clawed hand reached out and took her hand, smoothing the bends in her knuckles.

"If you have no value in yourself in the here and now, in YOUR. SELF…" Ragnarok boomed, voice shaking the trees.

"Others will find a value, a use in you. Like they have so many times before." The criminal in the jumpsuit said with a sneer, stalking around her. A pale hand moved across her orange attire and Jihl stepped into view.

"I've always known what you were Farron. Nothing more than a rabid animal that needs to be leashed."

Lightning felt the chain around her neck before Jihl moved. She reeled back, being pulled by Nabaat and the apparition of her in the jumpsuit in one direction, while another variant of her in her GC uniform appeared and pulled in the other. She felt like she was being torn in two. Gasping for air, she clutched at the chain around her throat and yanked herself forward, falling to her hands and knees in the dirt. Familiar tanned fingers guided her jaw up, and Lightning looked up into a sea of endless green swirling within her partner's eyes.

 _Fang._

Fang was her anchor amidst the madness. The lighthouse in the storm. She saw through the worst of the pinkette and brought out the best of her. Fang was her light.

"You're in there still, I can see that. You need to stop letting the past take control. You are limitless, Lightning."

 _Limitless._

The word kept echoing around her, bouncing off the trees that surrounded her. They turned to crystal and shattered, leaving her in darkness.

Limitless. Why limit one's self to any one thing? She was more than the criminal that ran with the Valefor gang. More than the Guardian Corps lieutenant desperate to make up for her past while still running for it. More than the Fal'Cie puppet who was sent into the behemoth's den with a fake identity. The more she thought about it, the more the two doppelgangers in front of her began to fuse and fade until all that was left was her looking at herself in the mirror.

Lightning was more than her past, fragments of her identity merely experiences that brought her to this point, right here, with Fang. Fate has a funny way of manifesting, in a way without everything that had happened she would never have met the Pulsian. So why spend the time feeling guilt over things she couldn't change? She could acknowledge them, integrate them, and move on. Far more productive use of energy.

 _Why keep up the pretence that you are anything more than you are?_ She heard Jihl's words reverberating in her head. Lightning stood and turned to face her old trainer and pinned her with a cold stare.

"Because I am limitless."

* * *

The pain in Lightning's stomach hit her before she'd even fully returned to the waking world. It was grey dawn around them when she finally opened her eyes. There were remnants of colour and patterns on the edges of her vision, which made her feel more than a little nauseous. She groaned and rolled over, drawing the attention of the brunette sitting up next to her.

"You back with me, sweetheart?" she asked gently, her voice hoarse from sleep deprivation. A slow nod from the pinkette was all she needed, and she exhaled with relief. "Thank the Gods. You had me worried for a while there." Fang breathed, resting her forehead against Lightning's.

"Etro. How do people do this shit for fun?" the pinkette complained, rolling closer and bundling herself into Fang's lap.

"It isn't all bad, pop a smaller dose and watch stupid B grade movies all night and everything is hilarious."

"Pass. Hard pass. I feel like I could sleep for a week." Lightning muttered with a frown. Fang simply smiled and began toying with the pale hair, knowing the effect it would have on the grumpy woman.

"There's nowhere we gotta be, Sunshine. Get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning." She whispered, shifting down into the bedroll by the campfire and tugging the blankets up over them.

The next time Lightning opened her eyes, things felt less painful and her mind more clear. She felt calmer, somehow, that she had come out the other end of the night settled within herself. She looked up towards the face she hoped to wake to every morning to find her still sleeping. The pinkette leant up and kissed along the tanned jaw, smiling as she felt the Pulsian stretch and wrap her arms tightly around her.

"Mmmm. How are you feeling?" Fang asked sleepily, ensuring the pinkette was pulled flush against her.

"Lighter. Mildly hungover. Better." Lightning hummed in contentment. She was happy to lay there, in the morning sun as the embers from the fire still gave off the slightest of warmth. "Probably a good thing you didn't leave me to my own devices to get out of the forest alone. Who knows where I could have ended up."

Fang chuckled and arched her back in a languid stretch. "Probably up a tree somewhere I'm sure."

The two laid about in the bedroll until the sun was high before finally making a move to tidy up their camp and head back. Lightning stared at the campfire and saw the ashes amongst the stone. "Wait, Fang," she called out, drawing her partner's attention back over. "Do you remember what Pulsian tradition is in place of wedding bands?"

The brunette gave a short laugh and shook her head. "Yeah, I do. Crude but effective, and practical to boot-ohhhhhh. Right. You already knew."

Unclasping the chain from around her neck, Lightning took the bolt pendant and placed it against Fang's skin, hooking it up again. "Marry me, Oerba Yun Fang. I don't care for ceremony, just you."

With a beaming smile, Fang leant forward and wrapped her arms around the pinkette, kissing her gently. "As if there was ever any doubt."

They knelt by the fire and took each other's hands. Now seemed as good a time as any. Fang ran her thumb over Lightning's finger and closed her eyes with a deep inhale. "Blood of my Blood, borne of Etro the Divine. Bone of my Bone, borne of Anima's earth. I give ye my body, that we two might be one. I give ye my Spirit, 'til our Life shall be done and we return to the seas of Vahalla."

Lightning took out her survival knife and handed it to Fang. The Pulsian suppressed the hiss of pain as she made the cut along her ring finger, and passed the blade back. The pinkette smiled softly and kept her expression even as she made a clean incision in the same place on her own hand. They each kissed the wound gently, and Fang reached into the campfire, grabbing a handful of cooled ashes between her fingertips. As she pressed the ash into the wound she grimaced in pain.

"Etro that fucking bites... Uh. Where was I.. Right. I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine, from this day it shall only your name I cry out in the night and into your eyes that I smile each morning."

Lightning repeated the action with the ashes, closing her eyes tight with the sting but keeping her reaction far more muted than her partner. She took a breath and opened her eyes, recalling what she'd been studying.

"I shall be a shield for you back as you are for mine, no shall a grievous word be spoken about us, for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance."

Fang's eyebrows raised, not expecting the pinkette to have known the ceremony, let alone be able to recite it from memory. She caught the sly smirk and cupped Lightning's jaw with her hand.

"Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honour you through this life and into the next."

Lightning leant forward and kissed Fang deeply, threading her fingers of her free hand through the dark hair with a content hum. "At the rising of the moon, and the setting of the stars. I will love and honour your home and hearth, through all that may come. May we take the path of the wilds together."

With only the silent trees surrounding the clearing as their witness, the two kissed and held each other, bound by the Hunter's Way to each other. It felt like the final closing of their past, that they would restore Lightning to her whole self, and for Fang to bring such love and renewal into a place that was once nothing but loss to her. With the hallucinogens still making their way through the pinkette's system, every touch was an explosion of colour, the synaesthesia turning every kiss into a symphony of sound and light. She was certain that Fang could see it too.

After a while, the throbbing of her finger got a little too distracting and she finally broke away. The brunette smiled and tucked the pale strands of pink hair behind Lightning's ear. "So, what's say we pack up and go find breakfast back in Eden?" She said, chuckling at the disgusted groan that came from the pale woman's throat.

"You've got to be kidding me, Fang. My guts still feel like they're on fire."

"Maybe a light tea for you then," The Pulsian replied with a smirk, helping her now wife from the ground. "What's say we go do the paperwork and then rack off to that private beach on Besaid?"

Lightning thought that was the best way to spend a day, and pulled Fang down into yet another kiss, feeling breathless but not caring. They stayed close together as they packed up the camp and headed back towards the car, holding hands the whole way. After everything that had happened, the pinkette was hesitant to put any distance between them. She giggled quietly to herself as she saw Fang's tattoos moving along her skin as she slid into the driver's seat. The brunette quirked an eyebrow at her but said nothing, turning the keys over.

"So, our sisters are likely going to kill us for not letting them plan anything." Lightning muttered, resting her head on her hand against the window once they were back on the highway on their way to Eden. Fang shrugged and slid her hands around the steering wheel.

"Eh, with all the media hype surrounding us it wouldn't have been easy anyway. We'll just cop them yelling angrily for twenty minutes and then let them plan a party before we go away." She replied with a roll of her eyes. The brunette looked over at her bride and grinned. "Still the matter of the surnames you know… What was that suggestion about sparring for the order?" Glaring at her with an exasperated expression, Lightning shook her head and rubbed her face with her hands.

"Pull over. We're sorting this out now."


	2. Chapter 2

_AN -_ I got 200 kudos thingies over on Ao3 for In Too Deep, so here's a chapter/one-shot/whatever to celebrate you people being so gosh darn awesome.

* * *

 **Bonds**

With a heavy sigh she threw the smoke in the trash. No time like the present to give up the gimmick, she supposed. Fang pulled her sunglasses off and placed them on the top of her head, pulling her hair back out of her eyes as she did so. A smile split her features as she saw a small boy running towards her, being chased by one exhausted looking father.

"Fang!" The child cried out, and leapt into her waiting arms. The Pulsian cackled and lifted him high in the air, giving him a little spin for added amusement. He squealed and shot his arms out like a plane, giggling as he went airborne.

"By the Gods, you've grown!" Fang exclaimed, tickling the child's belly. The father finally caught up with them and leant down to rest his hands on his knees. He chuckled at the display as he caught his breath.

"You know, anyone would think motherhood looks good on you, Oerba."

Fang's eyes widened in outrage and she looked down at the child. "Remember what we taught you when it's secret time?" She queried, smiling as the boy immediately covered his ears and shut his eyes tightly. Satisfied, the brunette turned and gave him the middle finger with her free hand. "Piss off, Sazh. I've got my hands full enough babysitting your gang and lookin' after my sister."

"I'm sure Vanille sees it the other way around.." He replied with a smirk, taking Dajh from the grouchy Pulsian. "I still can't believe you taught him to cover his ears just so you could keep swearing around him."

"Clearly a sign that I'm _not_ mother material. That and all the shooting, I guess."

They both sat in silence, leant up against the vehicle while Sazh let the young boy chase seagulls around in the park. "So you're here to say goodbye then, I'm guessing? That why you called me away from HQ?" Fang queried, a little worried about the answer. Though, she couldn't fault him if he wanted out of the city altogether considering everything that had happened. The scaffolding and cranes that now started to dot the skyline made things busy for everyone with the rebuild, but there were still plenty of timely reminders about the cost of the city's freedom from the grip of the Fal'Cie.

"No, actually, you've made it so I don't have to high-tail it out of Eden thanks to your antics at the tower." He replied with a slow smile. "Actually it's about Dajh. I've been doing a lot of thinking, since Quinn died, I threw myself into absolute chaos. You were like a daughter to me, you… You are like a daughter to me." He corrected, clearing his throat while Fang avoided eye contact.

"You getting' sentimental on me, old man?" The brunette asked and he simply took her by the hand and forced her gaze.

"I did wrong by you, Fang. Your father was a good man, and I broke my promise to him to keep you safe. When everything went to hell, I should have realised that I had more than just Dajh in my family. I wanted to ask, though Lord knows I got no right to, but if something happens to me, I want you and Lightning to look after Dajh for me."

Of all possible requests the brunette anticipated her mentor to make, that was not even on the list. Fang was stunned. Her jaw gaped and she stared in disbelief.

"Sazh… You know the work we're involved in… Even if we're semi-legit now it's still a huge risk. I'm not saying no, but more just curious if you've taken one too many hits to the head."

He laughed and then sighed at the sight of Dajh trying to strike up a conversation with one of the birds that seemed tamer than the others. "You risked a lot to find him, both you and Lightning did. There's nobody else I'd trust more with my son's life than with my daughter."

Fang stared hard as he pulled out some paperwork and handed it to her. They had the city stamp on them and as she read through the details, she realised they were adoption papers. "It's up to you of course, the decision is yours to make. Never did have a chance to make it official back when, but it was real enough. You know, can't have nobody but your dad walkin' you down the aisle."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Fang sniffed and wiped a few wayward tears from her eyes, not able to stop a few from hitting the paperwork in her hands. "You _are_ a sentimental old bastard, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Reckon retirement's made me soft."

Fang turned around and laid the forms on the bonnet of the car, pulled a pen out of the glovebox on the passenger's side to sign. "Nothing would make me happier. Well, maybe a few strippers and a tropical island but yeah. This is good enough."

"Daddy! What's a stripper?" Dajh's voice rang out from their feet, and both looked down to find the boy beaming up at them holding onto a flower. Sazh gave Fang a sardonic look and picked up his son in his arms.

"Something you can maybe find out about when you're older. A _lot_ older." He drawled, using his free hand to smack Fang on the back of the head. "And you're not too old for a slap either, missy."

* * *

Lightning looked up from the paperwork she was running through with Bartholomew and tracked Fang as she walked into their makeshift office on the edge of the Warrens. Sazh had come to her beforehand to advise of his plans, just as a heads up in case it went good, bad or ugly. The pinkette carefully observed her partner for any trace of issues, and came up empty. Fang was laughing, shaking hands with a few contractors and patting Gadot on the back while talking animatedly with him.

"Guess it must have gone fine then," she muttered to herself and went back to the contracts with the Estheim CEO.

"Now, Miss Farron… Lightning, I understand that you're wanting to rebuild the Warrens as before, but do you really still need the HQ? Those underground bunkers were always dangerous, and even moreso now that the bombs destroyed it. It would take far longer to get the construction completed if it involves having to excavate and reinforce the caverns."

Lightning sighed, the memory of her time in the caverns with Fang over the course of their progressing relationship was where they would have to remain. "Fair enough, what have you got in mind instead?"

Bartholomew simply smiled and opened up a folder and started pulling out blueprints. "Something I think you'll like."

A tattooed hand came into view, reaching over and pinching the documents from Lightning's hands before she had a chance to look at them. Fang gave a cheeky grin and bumped the pinkette's hip with her own. The tanned eyebrows rose at the sight of the blueprints and her eyes darted between the documents and Bartholomew's patient gaze. "You're damn right we'll like it. Room with a view, right?" She handed the documents back to her partner and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Lightning leant into the contact and read over the plans. "To rebuild the tower? With our office now being on the top floor? A bit of a middle finger to the Fal'Cie isn't it?"

"When has anything we've done _not_ been a middle finger to the Fal'Cie?" Fang drawled, slowly slipping her fingers just under the hem of the pinkette's shirt to savour the feeling of her skin while they discussed all things professional and boring. She ignored the pointed look she was getting in response and continued with the conversation. "Rikku's been plotting some sort of business venture with a few contacts she's been making, Paine has been organising security with the other red-eyed bird from the BK's and with Lulu's uh… Establishments, makes sense to have a head office instead, right? Can't live in the sewers forever after all."

"I guess," Lightning conceded with a shrug, "Can't have gone through all of the last year of chaos only to wind up back where we started, right?"

Fang leant over and kissed her gently on the cheek, though the gesture was only _mildly_ patronising. "Now you're thinking like a member of Ragnarok." The pinkette groaned, cursing herself for even putting that idea out there on that broadcast in the first place. It was bad enough that the papers had taken to calling her the Saviour, the notoriety had gotten so bad it was getting harder to even go out for dinner in peace.

Bartholomew packed up his paperwork and went on his way once the meeting was done, and that left the two looking out at the heavy construction zone that was the Warrens with renewed hope. Lightning gave her partner a look from the corners of her eye and cleared her throat. "So… I take it Sazh's meeting went well?"

Fang looked a little startled and scratched the back of her neck. Her usual tell that she was nervous. "Y-yeah. It did. I… He asked us to be Dajh's godparents. You know. In case anything happens to him. And he… Wait how much of this do you already know?"

"Enough," Lightning replied with a casual wave of her hand. "He came to me yesterday and asked what his chances were of surviving the confrontation if he pitched the idea to you." She shook her head at the reminder, she practically had to twist his arm to get him to just spit it out.

"What do you think of the idea? The paperwork to… You know."

The pinkette turned to face her partner, watching the uncertainty written all over her face. She ran her fingers down the side of Fang's face and smiled as the Pulsian's eyes fluttered closed at the touch. "I think that it's a very sweet idea. I squandered my opportunity to have a relationship with my father because of my stupid choices, and then it was too late. Your opportunity was taken from you. We've been rebuilding our families ever since. Family is where you find it."

Fang's anxiousness seemed to fade at her words, and she wrapped her arms around the pinkette's neck and held her close. "You're taking my title of the poetic member of our rag-tag group of misfits you know."

"Quiet, you."


	3. Chapter 3

_AN-_ AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA did you think these one shots were just going to be fluff? Of course not. It's _me_ you're dealing with. CW for discussions of past suicidal ideation.

* * *

 **Binds**

Lightning stood on the pier, leant over the railing in contemplative silence. She heard the footsteps approaching behind her, but made no move to turn. The gentle tapping of the shoe on the pier faltered, slowed, and stopped a fair few paces away, before resuming and moved up beside her.

"Get it out of your system before you explode, Serah." She sighed, keeping her eyes front. Her sister gripping at the metal railing in front of them until her knuckles turned white.

"I just... Why, Claire?"

The proverbial question that hung over her head, that the elder Farron had been waiting for. From the moment Lightning turned the job offer down. Rygdea knew, before he even asked he knew. Possibly just asking for appearances. Serah's face dropped the instant her sister had given a "Thanks but no thanks" to the now director of Psicom.

"Because I don't want it anymore," Lightning replied, quiet but resolute in her words.

"So, you'll choose a life of crime instead? After everything you went through with dad, you'll still walk this path?"

The elder Farron finally turned to face her sister, the anger clearly evident in her ice blue gaze. "Did you even mean it? Back in the cavern? That you would support me no matter what?" Lightning snapped angrily. What it meant for Serah to join her side, join her cause for Eden's freedom was to accept her no matter the path she took, even if it took her dangerously close to repeating history.

"Fang also said that it wouldn't be expected of me to raise a gun, and yet I had to in order to save your life." The younger pinkette replied, holding her hand up to silence any scathing retort. "I'm not saying I regret what I did, Claire. I meant what I said. That I would always choose you. But I can't bounce back from something like that, like you can. I can't sit back and wait for the day I get the phone call that someone put you down from a rival gang looking for revenge."

It figured that Lightning would finally find peace within herself and her place in the world, and Serah would pick now to take exception. Her jaw clenched as the tears pricked at the young woman's eyes. The Psicom job was a desk gig, off the field, coordinating instead of being in the line of fire. Fang had even offered to drive her to work every day, not having a problem if the former lieutenant went back to her old digs.

" _Vanille is taking the job as chief data analyst again, why would I have a problem with you going back? That's the point about freedom, Light. You're free to do what you want. Just... Give me at least a five minute head start before you arrest me, ok?"_

The words were jovial and honest, but Lightning saw the slightest hint of a nervous, sad smile. The former lieutenant's heart sank at the tiniest evidence of a pout and had leant forward to kiss it off the brunette's lips.

" _I take the vows of the Creed seriously, Fang. I'm not leaving your side. I am bound with you."_

" _It isn't meant to shackle you."_

" _No, it's done the opposite. It has freed me. Besides, I won't let you have all the fun without me."_

It was an oath she made seriously, pressing at the still healing scar on her ring finger. "It isn't going to be like before, Serah. We're going legit in the wake of everything. We even have Psicom's unofficial backing, for Etro's sake."

"Ill gotten gains are still Ill gotten gains."

The growl that escaped her lips was pure reflex, causing Serah to take a few steps back. It hurt Lightning that her sister still felt this way even after everything. Maybe the support she showed was a mask, maybe the sibling that stood by her side was the lie. Serah placed her hands on her hips and sighed, glancing at the clouds to attempt to clear her vision.

"I don't understand. Eden is safe, the Fal'Cie are gone, you can finally get your life back. Why would you turn the job down?" Serah pressed, and Lightning scoffed, folding her arms defensively. "Why would you choose this life over what you had before?"

"You say that like my life before is something worthy of going back to. Where I was a single, lonely workaholic, trying desperately to piece my life back together and forever blaming myself for what happened to dad?" She snarled, stepping into her sibling's space.

Serah paled at the anger. in all the years since their father passed she never thought she'd see this side of her sister, let alone directed at her. She knew Claire had issues with her temper, always getting into trouble at school after their mom died, and had even witnessed a few of the fights behind the shed in recess. But then she saw the hurt underneath it all, hidden beneath the rage from the way her breaths became ragged on every inhale, the tears that welled in her eyes and the twitching fingers that kept instinctively trying to reach for something, or someone that was no longer there.

"My life before..." Lightning laughed bitterly, "Where the most I was secretly hoping for was to choke on a bullet in the line of duty like he did so that I'd never have to do it myself? Where I started to make more and more reckless decisions to attempt to bring about that end? Sure, Serah. Let's go back to that being my reality."

The words were out of the elder Farron's mouth before she could even stop them, and the slap across her face left her cheek red and raw before Serah could even stop the motion. Then, the arms were around her neck and the little pinkette was sobbing into her neck before either could recognise what was happening.

"You promised me. You promised me no more. You promised me that I wouldn't lose you either. And you were trying to break that promise before you'd even met Fang and wound up in all this Fal'Cie mess." Serah stammered out as she cried. Lightning couldn't bring herself to return the embrace, knowing how badly she hurt both her sister, and herself.

The former lieutenant moved away, bowing her head in grief and guilt.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

Fang killed the engine on the motorcycle in the parking lot and stood to remove her helmet. She spied her favourite car parked further up the hill and breathed a sigh of relief. When Yuj, one of the young mechanics came tearing into the office to say that her partner had returned from wherever she was in an extremely volatile mood and took her car, Fang wasn't sure whether to be more worried about the pinkette's well-being or whether her vehicle would be returned in one piece.

She'd sped along the highway searching for her faithful vehicle and partner, until a phone call from Vanille put her on the right track. It definitely paid to have someone with access to every traffic camera in the city, and she promised to take her sister out for ice cream as a thank you.

The location the car was found was in a small park by the cliffs on the outskirts of the city. It overlooked the city and the beach near the port, and was a common spot for hook ups or quiet contemplation. While Fang secretly hoped for the former, she knew that it would likely be the latter.

She cautiously made her way up the hill to find Lightning sitting on the bonnet of the orange vehicle, slowly drinking from a bottle of tequila as she watched the sun dip into the horizon behind the city. Its fading light cast a sombre glow on the pale face, that lit the liquor that swirled in the bottle in a brilliant gold.

"Bit early for that, isn't it?" Fang said quietly as she approached, flinching at the venomous glare she was given. Lightning turned back to the sunset with a harrumph, taking another swig of the bottle. After a few moments, she passed the bottle to the Pulsian without saying anything. Fang graciously took it and had a drink herself. "So, you wanna talk about whatever's got Yuj thinking you were about to go on a rampage? I'm fine to sit here and just drink and enjoy the sunset if not. I won't force it out of ya."

There was a long period of tense silence before Lightning snatched the bottle back and took another drink. "Serah... Was not happy about my decision to stay with you."

"Oh."

Lightning hummed and moved the bottle around, causing a tiny whirlpool to form in the tequila. "I never used to like this until you came along..."

Fang smiled and bumped the pinkette's shoulder with her own. "You saying I'm a bad influence, Farron?" She asked with a small laugh, causing her partner to turn to her and reach for her hand. Drawing a gentle thumb over Fang's scar on her ring finger, Lightning smiled wistfully, watching the dimming light shift the shadows over her face.

"You have influenced me." She replied quietly, feeling a tear slip down her cheek. Fang's heart broke at the sight and she scooted closer to take her hand.

"You don't... Regret anything, do you?" the brunette asked. She was suddenly startled by Lightning surging forward and pushing her back against the bonnet. The aggressive kiss was like fire, burning any fear of the answer away with each taste of her tequila-tainted lips. She could still feel the pinkette's tears on her cheeks, dripping down onto her own face as their lips slid against one another. A rough grab of her dark hair had her groaning into her partner's mouth.

"Light... Shit... What... What's..." her words failed her as a whimper overtook her throat when Lightning slipped a hand beyond the waistband of her jeans. Fang fought for composure and somehow gathered her wits to push the pinkette off her. "Time... Time out... Hit the pause button for a sec... Etro..." She panted, staring in disbelief at the angry expression set against her.

Lightning pushed forward and grabbed Fang by the collar, pulling her up close. "Don't you ever. _Ever_. Ask me if I regret anything with you, with me, with us. Again." She growled, holding up the scar on her ring finger. The tears still ran along her face, highlighting the scar along her cheek. Fang reached out and wiped the tears away, trailing her thumb along the marring of her skin.

"Before I met you I was either about six months out from dying on the job from a patrol gone wrong or just unloading my pistol into my head. My obsession with work was the only thing that kept me going, my dedication to duty." She paused when she heard the breath catch in Fang's throat. "I didn't know how to keep living with what had happened to my father, knowing it was my fault he was there that night. If it wasn't for the operation that stuck me in the prison with you, I probably would have killed myself sooner rather than later."

The jade eyes in front of her glazed over with tears, and she grabbed Lightning by the neck and pulled her into an embrace. The former lieutenant had to admit this was far nicer than a slap to the face. "You have influenced me. You made me realise that there was more to life than just waiting out the end." Lightning said quietly, tracing the scars on their fingers.

Fang took a shuddering breath. She didn't want to think that she had come close to never meeting the love of her life. "I'm... Really glad you took that mission to come to me, Light."

"Me too."

They sat in silence in each other's arms for a while, watching the last of the sun disappear behind the city buildings. When the temperature started to drop, Fang slid off the car and Lightning followed suit. She moved around to the driver's side car and gestured for the keys. "You've had way more than I have, Sunshine. Don't want to be arrested for a DUI of all things after all the shit we've done."

Lightning laughed, the sound a relief to Fang's ears. As the pinkette moved to walk to the car she felt around in her jacket pocket and closed her hand over a small object. She pulled it out and inspected the brass embossment of her Guardian Corps badge, tracing the contours with her thumb.

"You ok, Light?" Fang asked tentatively. Lightning looked up with an easy smile, the first she'd managed all day.

"Yeah. Yeah I am. Just... Making a decision." She replied as she gripped the badge and threw it off the cliff.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN -_ It's not festivemas without a obligatory festive fic! I wanted to explore a little more of some lorey lore lore before ze sequel so HERE.

* * *

The alley was dark and secluded, hidden behind the markets. Fang pulled her hoodie about her to hide her appearance from the others in the Warrens, as her notoriety had skyrocketed in the wake of the recent events. This was an old tradition, far older than her and she'd be damned if she let useless paparazzi plaster her face all over the news.

She stood at the door of a hut covered in rags and bone chimes, and swallowed heavily. " _Maarga,_ are you in?" Fang called out nervously, fidgeting with the scar on her ring finger.

"Of course, _Ke santaan Yun,_ come in... You're as restless as you were as a child I swear." Came the reply from inside. The brunette ducked her head and chuckled as she entered, feeling like she was five years old again. "Still, it is good that you keep up with tradition. Not many do these days. Not since Oerba..."

"I know," Fang said quietly, wringing her hands together once she'd sat down. "Every day I pray that the gods forgive me for my part in bringing my village down."

The old woman leant over and patted her hand. "The guilt will eat you alive if you let it. You did not single-handedly destroy Oerba. You were a young thing, being led by darker men. If this becomes an annual tradition where I have to remind you of this I will make you say extra mantras." She said, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind the brunette's ear.

A part of Fang's penitence, as she would call it, was to continue to visit the old healer from the village who had made a home for herself in Eden, such as it was. She would visit as often as she could, but would sooner face an agonizing death than miss out on seeing the elder for the Solstice. The old woman had been a grandmother figure to her growing up, even after Vanille's departure to the academy and had helped the Pulsian see past her anger.

She watched as the old woman fixed a tea for them both, and scratched at her hand. She always felt a little self-conscious around her partner when it came to her... More "eccentric" beliefs; while a part of her was thrilled that Lightning chose to tale the path of the Hunter's Way and go through the trials, there was still reluctance in sharing this part of her life with the pinkette. In a sense, it meant sharing a part of her past that she had yet to properly reconcile.

"So, I see you bear the marking of betrothal. When were you going to inform me of that, hm?" the elder's voice brought her out of her musings. Fang felt her face heat under the scrutiny and she struggled for words.

"I... I have been busy saving the city, I'll have you know!" she exclaimed, pushing her own cheeks with the palms of her hands to hide the blush. "I've... Only just got back from the reservation with her in the last couple of weeks. Needed time to process it all, you know? But _Maarga_ , I'm... I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

The old woman waved her off and handed her over a small bowl of food. A traditional Oerban dish filled with spices and salt, that always brought Fang to a place of happiness. "Her, hm?" She teased, enjoying the deepening of red on the Pulsian's face, "I am happy you're happy, my child. It has been a long time coming. And with what I've been hearing on the winds of your tales, if there was any guilt to manifest over the past consider yourself more than redeemed with everything you have done for these people."

The wise words brought tears to Fang's eyes and she turned her head to hide them. "It's... Been a long year, _Maarga._ I am ready to begin it anew and put it behind me."

"Then let us eat, and then we will do just that."

They ate in silence, save for the soft music playing from a stereo on a nearby shelf. Old recordings of the town's ceremonies, if Fang listened carefully she could even pick out individual voices of people she knew. She wondered how many of her fellow clans were out there, or why she hadn't seen any in Eden beyond the elder. Maybe they were out there and had just chosen to acclimatize to Eden and leave the old ways behind like Vanille had. As she remembered there wasn't that many adherents when she was growing up either, with her family and Vanille's being the only ones stubborn enough to still live off the lands beyond the village.

"If you've had enough navel gazing there, _bachcha_ , I'd say it's time." The old woman chuckled, ignoring the scowl she received. Fang peeled her hoodie off to reveal a royal blue sari underneath, the satin fabric shining under the candle light. She had hidden this fabric in a box in her office, thankful that someone had managed to retrieve it before the HQ went under. She sat cross-legged on the floor and placed her hands on either knee, palms up.

The elder hummed to herself as she went about making preparations, and Fang sat still as she could with a straight spine, repeating chants to herself under her breath. She caught the first scent of the incense that filled the room and inhaled deeply, comforted by its presence. It always reminded her of home and her family. While it made her heart ache for the loss of both, it also made her feel grateful and hopeful about the new home she had, with her new family.

"Grace be to the goddess Etro, divine in wisdom and eternal in Valhalla." Fang whispered, her eyes closed. The old woman nodded and stirred a dark red paste in a small decorated steel bowl in her hand.

"Grace be to the Great Hunter Ragnarok, strong in arm and relentless in the chase." The brunette continued, a little louder as she brought her hands together with index and pinky fingers intersecting. The elder handed her a knife and Fang dutifully pierced the pad of her left thumb, allowing a few drops of blood to fall into the bowl.

"Grace be to the clan, the home and hearth, the… Family…" Fang stumbled on the last word, her voice breaking. The old woman tucked her long white braid behind her shoulder and reached out, stroking the side of Fang's face with a sad smile.

"It's ok, my darling heart." She cooed gently, catching the tear that slipped down the brunette's cheek. Reaching into the bowl, the elder drew her thumb through the clay paste and striped it across the centre of Fang's forehead. She took over the chant for the young Pulsian. "Honour to the clan, the creed and the way. Let the darkest night fall and bring onto the dawn a new season of life, love and prosperity. Grace to the Goddess Etro."

"Grace to the Goddess Etro." Fang repeated with a strained whisper, before leaning forward and placing her head against the ground. "And may the Way be open and path clear."

The Pulsian scrunched her eyes tight as she felt the old woman run weathered fingers through her dark hair. Letting the tears fall to the ground beneath her, the elder simply remained still and silent while she composed herself. When Fang finally raised her head, she sniffed and sat back in her spot. Fighting the compulsion not to scratch at the drying clay on her forehead, she gratefully accepted the other part of the Solstice ritual, the _Medhi,_ a strong mead brewed for the long winter night.

"So when am I going to meet this bride of yours, hm?"

Fang fidgeted with her mug at the question, not making eye contact. "She left earlier today for Bodhum, spend her Yule with the family. I'm heading down in the morning after... You know, this. Wouldn't miss our time together for anything in the world, _Maarga_."

The elder hummed and sipped her beverage thoughtfully, narrowing her eyes at the brunette. "Are you ashamed of your heritage?"

"W-what? No!" Fang exclaimed, astonished at the accusation.

"Then bring her here next year to partake. If she has bound her heart and soul to you, she accepts all that you are. You shouldn't fear scorn for your traditions."

Fang nodded slowly, finishing her drink. She stood carefully, aware of how potent the mead was. She bowed and pulled her hoodie over her head, delicate so as not to disturb the clay marking on her face.

" _Ke santaan Yun,_ " the old woman called out, "I am proud of the woman you have become. Your parents would be proud. Your mother would smile knowing what you have done for the people here... Your father would likely never shut up about you in the taverns, bragging about your exploits."

That caused a genuine laugh from the brunette, as she bowed once more and left. She felt a little dizzy from the sacramental mead as she made her way back to the hotel that they called home. It was a long walk, but it was all part of the Solstice. To take a solemn trek in the darkness, so that by the dawn you will know the light.

Fang entered the room with a sigh and carefully took her hoodie off in the darkness. She switched on the light and looked at herself in the full length mirror by the door. While admitting it out loud was likely off the cards, she always felt comfortable wearing the traditional Pulsian sari, as if she was always meant to wear it. Fang ran her hands along the silk with a soft smile and wondered what Lightning would think of such a garment.

"Well that looks good on you."

The Pulsian's gaze tore upwards to see the person on her mind sitting in the chair by the door, staring at her with curiosity. "Etro's fucking Gate Light, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

A light blush coloured the pale cheeks and the pinkette averted her eyes. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

"What're you doing hiding in the dark anyway? I thought you were meant to be in Bodhum?" Fang asked, her voice a squeak as the realization sunk in that Lightning was seeing her in traditional wear.

"After the... Discussion Serah and I had recently I... Didn't feel comfortable going down there without you. Besides, you said you were going to be home and when you weren't, I was worried. So I waited up. You... Want to explain what this is all about?"

Fang bit her lip, considering the pinkette and recalling the elder's earlier words. "No, it's probably easier to show you."

* * *

"I didn't think you had any family outside of Vanille?" Lightning asked as they made their way back through the Warrens in the dead of night.

"She isn't a relative, she was the village elder back in Oerba. Though sometimes I swear the only reason she's here is because she wants to keep an eye on me." Fang replied as they came to a stop just outside the shack.

"Well you're not wrong," Came the voice from inside, the curtains pulling back to reveal the yawning elder. "Back so soon, _Ke santaan Yun?_ Did you forget a prayer to Etro after all?"

"No, _Maarga_ ," Fang replied with a laugh, "I thought on your words and... I wanted you to meet..." She trailed off as Lightning stepped into view in the dull light from the candles.

"Ah, this is the woman who has made Fang behave like a lovesick youth I see."

" _Maarga_!" the brunette groaned, moving to bury her head in her hands. The elder slapped them away with a tut of her tongue, chastising and muttering about messing up the marking. "Yes. Well. Lightning, this is Oerba Aan Amar."

Lightning bowed with her pinky and index fingers intersecting, and both the other women's eyebrows raised. "Honoured, _Maarga_. My name is Bodhum Yun-Farron Claire. May the Way be true... I hope I gave the greeting the respect it and you deserve. I have been researching much of Fang's culture."

The elder barked out a surprised but jovial laugh. "By the gods, Fang. You have chosen well. A Cocoonian willing and capable to learn of our people? And she has taken the Creed? Just when I thought this world couldn't deliver me any new surprises... Come in, come in. Get out of the cold Yun, before your sister yells at me."

"Sister...?"

Vanille waved from her spot inside the hut, giving Fang the second fright of her evening. "What are you..."

"Doing here?" Vanille finished with a quirk of her eyebrow. "Just because I went to the academy in Eden doesn't mean I ever let go of our traditions... Our parents would raise from the seas of Valhalla and kill us!"

Lightning sat down, sandwiched between the two Oerban siblings, and looked around the hut. It was decorated with rich fabrics and bone decorations that while would be macabre in any other setting, somehow made the place more homey. A jaw bone hung from copper wiring, the holes where teeth once laid were replaced with crystal. The candle light glinted off the stones, making the ceiling light up like the night sky.

"So, Cocoon girl, in was wondering if you would assist me with something." The elder said slyly, watching Fang give her a panicked look. "I believe your... Wife here is having somewhat of an existential crisis regarding her practices. Did she tell you where she was going tonight?"

Lightning shook her head, while Vanille gave the brunette a glare. The old woman hummed, pulling the bowl around that she had used earlier.

"Tell me then, Child of Farron, does it bother you that she is here?"

"I wouldn't be here, or be with her if I did, it would be dishonourable to judge." The pinkette replied with a shrug. "This is the Solstice rite is it not?"

Fang's face flushed, for entirely different reasons than embarrassment. "You have done your homework haven't you?" she purred, bow more curious than worried.

Lightning simply nodded, settling into the cross-legged position and placed her hands on her knees, palms up. "I did. I've been wondering when you would ask me to partake. I thought you'd given up instead of sneaking around with it."

"But... You don't..." Fang was silenced by the pinkette gently pushing her fingers against her lips.

"If it's important to you, then I'm here. We're in this together, remember?" Lightning reiterated, wiggling the ring finger with the scar on it in front of the brunette's face. Fang leant forward and kissed her gently, running her thumb along the scar. Lightning had quickly learned that it was the Pulsian's way of reassuring herself, grounding herself in the present, and found it helped her too. The scars no longer represented what Jihl had done to her, but what she had survived. Not only with that night at the blackout site, but with Fang.

Amar nudged Vanille in the ribs and leant over conspiratorially. "I see what you mean now, _Ke santaan Dia,_ they truly are for each other. The love is unmistakable. Even if Fang is still crazy."

"I'm right here, _Maarga_..."

They all had a laugh before settling in, with the elder looking to Lightning in offering. The pinkette smiled broadly and bowed her head, starting the proceedings that set Fang's heart soaring.

"Grace be to the goddess Etro..."

When the trio staggered out after a few more cups of _Medhi,_ Vanille gave them both a hug and headed home, leaving the two women to walk along the oath back to the hotel.

"When I was a kid, my father used to take part in running these Solstice gigs. I got along with him more than mum. She was a little less adherent to the traditions, and hated that I wanted to grow up a hunter like dad." Fang said quietly, breaking the silent reverie the two had been having on their way home. "The traditions are important to carry on... Aside from the cultural aspects, by partaking it... Sometimes, it makes me feel like he's still with me."

"I'm sure wherever they are in the stars, they're watching over you and are proud of everything you've accomplished. I know I am." Lightning replied, wrapping her arm around Fang's and resting her head on her shoulder as they walked.

"… Thanks, Light. It... Meant a lot that you were willing to come tonight."

The pinkette smiled and kissed her partner on the cheek. "Well how could I resist you in that get-up?" Fang chuckled at her words, looking away with a blush. Lightning drew her face back around and kissed her gently, as they paused on a bridge near the hotel. With the _Medhi_ in her system and Fang's arms around her, the cold couldn't touch her.

"Besides," she continued, drawing lines along the Pulsian's arms with her fingertips, "I never got the chance to do many Yule traditions with the family. I'm happy to be a part of yours. Merry Solstice, Fang."

The tanned arms wrapped around her and held her tightly and smiled as the first hint of snowfall began to dust the tops of their heads.

"Merry Solstice, Light."


	5. Chapter 5

_AN -_ I HAVE MOVED. The babiest of baby chapters for this final installation of these in-between one-shots because come hell or high water Swan Dive is going to be up in February. ARGH. I got this idea in my head this morning and it wouldn't leave. Also there's an update on my tumblr if you want to have a look at Lightning's appearance following this chapter.

* * *

Lightning winced and fought within her every instinct not to scramble off the table and run from the shop. "How the hell did I let you talk me into this…" She complained, squeezing the Pulsian's hand. Fang smiled softly and ran her hands through the pink hair that was being matted against her pale forehead.

"I _did_ say to start off with something _small_ and work your way up if you were keen. Not, _hey what a great idea to jump off the deep end and get your entire back done after one tattoo!_ "

The buzzing of the tattoo gun paused, and the artist leant back in his chair with a lazy stretch. "It's ok to say you need a break darlin'," he drawled, looking over his line work and checking for consistency. "I'd rather that than you hit the pain wall and flinch. We're in the home stretch and I don't want to fuck up the work. You've done real well sticking it out."

Lightning smiled at the man and chuckled wryly. "I have been through worse," she muttered, sighing as she felt Fang draw her fingers gently over the scar on her shoulder. As much as she complained, when the sting subsided there was a rush of feeling left in its wake. Adrenaline mixed with endorphins to help ease the pain. She could see why Fang had so much ink on her skin. It was something she could get used to.

Still, she refused to relent and admit that Fang was right, either that she shouldn't have jumped to something so large after the Etro symbol she had inked at the base of her neck, _or_ that she was beginning to enjoy the feeling. The artist was something else entirely. When Lightning had gone to him to ask about designs, little did she realise she would spend hours talking with him until it was time for him to close the store. She told him her life story, and he excitedly took notes, drawing and sketching as they talked.

Fang had the image of Ragnarok in great detail along her spine and Lightning knew she wanted something else of similar symbolism. Something that showed she was a source of strength, power, resiliency. When the artist began to bring up similar mythology she knew then and there what she wanted. The results of which were being finalised on her shoulder blade as she contemplated the significance of such a thing.

What would Serah say if she saw the tattoos? Lightning's mood turned a little sour when her sister was brought into her thoughts. They hadn't really spoken since the argument on the pier, the elder Farron less and less likely to share any part of her life with her sibling that involved her line of "work". She knew Serah was aware of how much her words had hurt, the withdrawal of her support as soon as the smoke had cleared and the Fal'Cie had been dismantled.

Lightning scoffed at the naivety behind her sister's perspective. Just because the cartel was destroyed didn't mean there wasn't any more work to be done. The city was still being rebuilt, crime resurgence and other gangs kept sniffing around the city. If Eden was to truly belong to the people, she wasn't going to be able to rest.

"What's got you all grumpy looking there, Farron?" Fang whispered in her ear as the artist went back to work. The pinkette closed her eyes and rest her head back against her arms to stop herself from moving.

"Just thinking."

"About Serah?"

Lightning raised her head with a quirk of her eyebrow. Fang shrugged and drew her fingertip down the bridge of the pale nose that was crinkling in annoyance. "You always get the same look about you lately. I take it she hasn't called?"

"No, and I don't expect her to. She has… Made her choice. Like I've made mine." Her last words trailed off in a hiss as the tattoo artist went over a particularly raw spot on her shoulder. He mumbled an apology and tidied up the last of the piece.

"Not bad, not bad at all. So for after care, it's the usuals. Cream, stay out of the sun, lay on your stomach when sleeping for a bit. Fang will help with whatever you need, I'm sure." He explained, his pierced eyebrow twitching as he gave them a wink. The Pulsian laughed and bumped his wrist with her own while Lightning carefully sat up and put her shirt on.

"Always a pleasure, Rukh. Stay out of trouble will you? I'll be back in the summer for some more ink to add." Fang said jovially and paid him his dues. The pinkette gave him a small bow and shook his hand.

"Thank you. For everything."

The artist smiled and gave a casual shrug of his shoulders, ushering the women out of his store and into the street. "I'll see you again sometime, Light. They always come back." The trio laughed and bade the shop owner a fond farewell before parting ways. Fang linked her arm in with the pinkette's and pulled her close.

"Rukh's been jamming that gun into my skin since I was still a filthy teenager. Always good to introduce someone else new to the fold. So uh, you want to fill me in about the design now sprawled across your back?"

Lightning blushed, ducking her head with a smile. "It's the twin blades of the guardian Odin. They resemble angel's wings but are a harbinger of death."

"That's intimidating. And, arousing. Incidentally." Fang added, sliding her hand around the pinkette's waist. Lightning rolled her eyes and laughed, smacking her on the side.

" _Mine obsidian blade shall split atwain the threads of thy future, whilst its crimson fuller shalt channel the lifeblood of thy past._ I found it fitting, given everything we've been through. I want to be strong, powerful, committed to the future. To us." She paused in her steps, pulling Fang into a passionate kiss that the Pulsian immediately responded to. The soft breaths that caught with every bite of their lips sent their heartrates skyrocketing and their libidos travelling south.

"Damn, if this is how you are afterwards I'm going to have to get you inked more often." Fang mumbled against the pinkette's lips. She stood back and grinned as Lightning pushed forward again, burying herself inside her jacket. The Pulsian looked out to the skyline with a hopeful gaze, kissing the top of her head gently.

"Come on, let's go build that future."


End file.
